Hostage
by AhmoseInarus
Summary: STAND ALONE ONE SHOT - Reid is on his way to meet the team for a night out, but a fugitive carjacks him at gun point. Now Reid finds himself driving in a dangerous car chase, fleeing the police... will he get out of this one alive?  some OOC


Hostage

Hato chiisai

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

* * *

Reid sighed and let his eyes fall closed as he sat waiting at a stoplight. It had been a long day. He was on his way home after the team had returned from a case in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was late afternoon, and Reid was looking forward to a nice quiet weekend. But then Morgan and Garcia had interfered and talked everyone into going out. And so now Reid was heading home to change and then meet the team.

He got there and hurried upstairs. He jumped into the shower, bathed and shaved and brushed his teeth, then dressed and hurried back down to his rental car (his was in the shop… again). And as he headed to the club the team had chosen to meet at, he worked to brace himself for the scene that he would spend the evening in that was SO not down his alley.

But he should have been bracing himself for something else.

He jumped as the passenger door of his car opened, just as the light turned green. Reid turned and froze, staring down the barrel of a gun.

"Keep quiet, and drive." A gaunt, evil looking man growled. Reid simply stared in complete shock. The man jabbed him roughly in the ribs, making the boy gasp. "GO!" Reid whimpered and grabbed the steering wheel, slamming his foot on the accelerator. He began to slow down as he reached the next light and turned, heading towards the bar he was supposed to meet the team at.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"I, n-n-nothing! I don't know!" Reid cried in a high pitched voice, slowing down.

"Keep driving!" The man ordered, spittle flying from his thin lips under an unkept mustache. "Faster!"

"B-but-"

"FASTER!" He shouted, jabbing Reid in the ribs again. He obeyed, driving past the bar. He saw Esther in the parking lot, next to Morgan's bike. "Go left." Reid obeyed turning onto a busy street. "FASTER!"

"But, I'm already going the speed limit!" Reid gasped, then yelped as he was jabbed again.

"You will do as I say, or I'll fuckin kill you." The man snarled and Reid nodded, his terrified eyes wide. He sped up, but his attacker wasn't happy until he was going sixty in a thirty five zone. Reid was weaving around his lane, unable to keep his hands steady as they shook in his fright. Reid blew through a stop sign and two red lights before he finally saw the flashing red and blue lights in his review mirror. The man looked back at the squad car, and cursed.

"Keep driving." He snarled, pressing the gun into Reid's side.

"What?"

"KEEP DRIVING!" The felon roared, and Reid sped up. "Now, get rid of him."

"WHAT?"

"GET RID OF HIM!"

"I'm not a stunt driver!"

"You will get rid of him, or I will get rid of you."

"You're crazy! If we run, we'll be killed!"

"... you got a point. Stop, and play it cool. If you don't..." And he jabbed Reid with the gun again, just to get the point across. Reid nodded and slowed, pulling over to the side of the road. The cop got out of his car and approached Reid's vehicle. Reid rolled the window down; the carjacker was obviously high, he just prayed that the cop would notice it.

"Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?" the cop said and blinked at the pale, terror stricken boy in the car. The boy's mouth flapped, but no words came out. "Can I see your license and proof of insurance?" Reid nodded, and with shaky hands he reached into his pocket for his wallet. He handed his license and a copy of his insurance card over. The cop took it and paused before he headed back to his car to run a check. The boy looked near tears, and was silently mouthing words. After a moment, the cop recognized the words as 'Please, help me.' He blinked and returned to his car to run a check on the kid.

"All right. You're doin fine." The gunman said. Reid was just focusing on how to get out of this. "Just keep playin it cool, and you'll be fine. You're only gonna take me so far until I find a new ride. If you keep calm, you may get to go home and see your mommy tonight." At that, Reid lost his control and began gasping, tears forming in his eyes. The man jumped and jabbed Reid in the ribs. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? SHUT UP!" He quickly shut himself up as the cop came back, blinking at the suddenly hysterical young man. Everything had checked out. The car was legally rented to the kid, the insurance was fine, and the kid was apparently a freakin' FED! The cop looked past Reid and to the passenger.

"Sir, do you have any forms of identification?" He called. The passenger's eyes widened and he didn't look too calm.

"Uh, why, yessir, I do..." He called back, and looked down as if digging in his pocket. But instead of an ID, he revealed his gun, and fired. The cop yelped as his shoulder was grazed, and he stumbled back and fell. He heard the man screaming, "STEP ON IT! IF YOU WANNA LIVE, DRIVE!" And tires screamed. The cop got to his feet and ran to his car, contacting dispatch.

"I got a carjacking and hostage situation, send all available backup!"

Back on the road, Reid was trying to control his gasping and drive straight.

"Why the hell did you freak?"

"M-My mom..." Reid managed to say.

"What?"

"She's… she's in a hospital…" Reid stammered and the gunman blinked, then cursed.

"Oh, for the love of God, you're useless!" He screamed, then noticed the cop in pursuit. "Now you WILL get rid of this cop, or I'll kill you, AND him!" Reid tried to get a grip on himself and stop the tears, so that he could see the road.

"Listen to me… this is NOT going to end well." Reid began to say. "Statistically, if—"

"Shut up and speed up."

"But I'm already having trouble—" Reid stopped at the glare and sped up, despite the fact that he was having trouble controlling the car at those speeds. His mind began to race with all of the horrible ideas of things that could go wrong.

"AHH!" Reid yelped as he was slapped.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" The man was screaming, and Reid yelped and swerved, nearly losing control. "FASTER!" Reid glanced around, noticing that the cops were boxing them in. Reid gave a sob of hopefulness, but the man jerked the wheel, sending the car flying across the median and into oncoming traffic. Reid screamed and horns blared, as the cops followed. Reid began gasping in terror.

"Go back across!" He was ordered, and obeyed. They blazed down the high way at 120, teasing death. Reid frowned slightly when he saw a stopped cop car and an officer crouching at the side of the road. He suddenly realized what was happening.

"Spike strip!" Reid gasped and swerved, but the strip on a string was pulled into his path, and all four tires ran over it. Reid screamed as the car swerved back and forth, but managed to keep it on track.

"KEEP GOING!" The man was screaming, though Reid saw in the mirrors strips of rubber as the tires fell apart bit by bit, and finally he was driving on the rims, fire blazing beneath his wheels as they rattled over some railroad tracks.

"WE HAVE TO STOP! WE'RE GONNA BE KILLED!" Reid shouted hysterically, but was forced to keep driving. At least until squad car pulled up beside them. Reid screamed as the cop rammed into the rear side of his car and pulled his wheel, sending Reid's Chrysler Sebring whirling around to face the opposite way in a perfect PIT maneuver.

"GO!"

"WHAT?"

"DO IT!" The man screamed, and Reid slammed down on the accelerator. The car skidded onto the median and Reid jerked it back on course, and sped in the opposite direction; only to find that there were cars blocking that way too. Reid screamed as his attacker jerked the wheel, and suddenly, they were rattling down the railroad tracks. Reid was screaming in fear.

"Shut up and drive!"

"Oh my god… Oh my god… we're gonna die, we're gonna die!" Reid sobbed, as his captor cursed as he heard the sound of a helicopter following them. They continued rattling over the tracks at nearly fifty miles per hour, and Reid knew the poor car wouldn't take much more. He screamed in fear again as the madman forced him to drive over a narrow bridge. At the next road they turned off of the tracks, Reid amazed that his car was still running, but it was starting to make noises. They rattled down the highway, the chopper still following.

"You're doing good. A few more miles, and you can drop me." The felon said, and Reid sobbed in relief. But then, as they topped a hill, they found themselves facing even more squad cars.

Reid screamed and jerked the wheel again before they could collide with one of the cars. Reid and his captor both screamed as the car turned and rolled.

The police all ran from their cars and charged at the rolling vehicle that finally stopped on it's back, the undercarriage ablaze. They surrounded the car and drew their weapons when the passenger window was broken. They watched as the boy crawled moaning from the wreck, followed by the other man. They moved in, but froze as the man stood with his arm around the young man, holding his gun on the bleeding boy.

"GET BACK!" The man screamed, and Reid winced as the gun was pressed into his throat. The police backed away as the maniac dragged the dazed FBI Agent away from the burning wreck.

Most of the police were focused on the hostage situation, but a few turned at the arrival of two cars and a motorcycle. Three men and three woman ran forward, the men and one of the women flashing their credentials.

"REID!" Called the man who had been riding the bike, and the group rushed towards the hostage, but the police tackled them.

Reid twitched at the sound of Morgan's voice and looked up, but was unable to focus… he could see the fuzzy shapes of his team… but… where was Morgan? He knew he had heard him, but he didn't SEE him… His head throbbed and he felt the blood trickling down the side of his face, and down his arm from a gash on his shoulder. He was dragged from the wreck, not really paying attention to anything. His mind was in a blur. He heard voices… his friends, the police and the man who clutched him to his chest, threatening to put a bullet through his brain. He was stumbling backwards with the man, who was demanding a car. The police were trying to talk him into letting the young doctor go, but the man refused to hear their negotiation attempts. No one noticed Morgan slipping into the trees on the other side of the wrecked car...

"LISTEN!" He screamed. "Here is the way it will go! You will bring me a car, and WE will leave. Once I'm sure I'm not being followed, I'll release him. Either that, or he dies right here! Your choice! Do I have to show you I'm serious?" And he moved the gun. A shot rang out and Reid screamed, the bullet tearing its way through his thigh.

"REID!" Hotch called, horrified. Garcia was crying and Reid's head was rolling on his neck… he was having trouble keeping it steady. His team could tell that Reid needed medical attention for a head injury. The boy was becoming confused, not knowing what was happening anymore. Suddenly, the man stopped and shoved Reid to his knees, placing the barrel of the gun at the base of his skull. Reid blinked slowly, still not quite understanding what was happening. The police all began shouting, pleading with the man not to do it and backing away, trying to get him to calm down. Suddenly, they all noticed a figure emerging from the undergrowth of the trees on the edge of the road… a man in jeans and a red muscle shirt emerged, his eyes dark and blazing in fury as he stalked up on the gunman.

"DON'T DO IT!" A cop shouted at Morgan, worried that the stunt would turn out bad.

"I will if you don't bring me the damn car!" The maniac roared, cocking the hammer of the gun. Reid sat on his knees, trying to focus on a little flower next to his left knee, not knowing how close he was to death. Finally, Morgan was a foot away from the madman, and he moved. He grabbed the hand with the gun and wrapped his arm around the man, pulling him away. They grappled, and the cops charged a few feet, but stopped when suddenly Morgan tripped over a branch. He stumbled and went down, then found himself staring down the barrel of the gun. He looked completely calm as he locked eyes with the felon.

"Easy." Morgan said in his rich voice, trying to be calming to the madman. "I have a motorcycle, and unlike Reid, I can handle it well enough to get away from the cops. Here's the deal; You let Reid go. Let them take him to a hospital. And in exchange, I will take you to wherever you want to go, and I will not resist." The police all stared. The man blinked.

"Morgan, no." Rossi said firmly, but Morgan gave the senior profiler a glare, then focused back on the man holding Reid.

"Deal." The man said, and Morgan let the man take his arm and press the gun into his back. "NO ONE MOVES UNTIL WE'RE GONE!" The madman called as he walked Morgan over to the motorcycle. Morgan got on and revved the motor. The felon climbed on behind him. But as the bike began to move, the maniac whirled. A shot was fired, and there was a bloodcurdling scream. Everyone stared at the one who had screamed. Garcia stood there, crying as Hotch charged towards his agent. The silent young man still rested on his knees, a large bloodstain growing on his shirt as the blood flowed from the wound in his stomach. Hotch fell to his knees and reached out to Reid, who made a small whimper and gurgling noise and slumped over, a trail of blood trickling from his lips.

"No… Spencer?" Hotch gasped and ripped Reid's shirt off, followed by his own, which he wadded up and pressed against Reid's wound. JJ had reached them by this point and had Reid's head in her lap, staring down into the glassy brown eyes and fighting back tears, pleading for Reid to hold on.

Morgan was jerked out of his shock as the man jabbed him with the gun.

"DRIVE!" He was commanded, but in a flash the felon had been thrown to the ground and was staring into the eyes of the furious agent.

"You son of a bitch!" Morgan roared, slamming his fist into the man's jaw and seizing his wrist, twisting it until he felt it snap. The man screamed and dropped the gun, and then Morgan dropped him. He pinned the man down.

"You are under arrest for the Kidnapping, Assault and Attempted Murder of a Federal Agent!"

"WHAT?"

"That's kid's with the FBI!" Morgan snapped, and allowed the police to drag him away. They put the criminal into handcuffs and stuffed him in the back of a car, which roared away. Morgan whirled and ran to Reid, who was growing more pale by the minute. He knelt and took the boy's hand, stroking the cold skin.

"Reid, I'm so sorry." He gasped, agony in his eyes. "Oh, god, please…" JJ, Morgan and Hotch barely heard the siren as the ambulance arrived, and they fought the police who pulled them away from Reid as the paramedics worked. And they fought the police as the ambulance sped away, it's wailing siren drowned out by Garcia's cries.

* * *

Morgan paced back and forth as Rossi sat by Hotch, who was staring at the floor. Emily was trying to comfort an inconsolable Garcia with JJ. They sat outside the emergency room where Reid was undergoing surgery to remove the bullet from his stomach and thigh.

"This is all my fault…" Morgan said, suddenly. "I'm so sorry, Hotch… I never should have stepped in..."

"No…" Hotch said, suddenly. "No, those damn cops weren't doing a thing, and we couldn't wait for a hostage negotiator. That guy was going to shoot Reid in the head… You gave Reid a better chance than the cops did." Hotch stood and moved to Morgan, staring him in the eye. "You got him away from Reid... You didn't know he was going to do that. He wasn't stable. We were all blinded by our personal involvement." Morgan blinked, and nodded.

"Hotch… I'm so sorry… I should have been able to stop him…."

"You didn't do anything wrong. This isn't your fault…" Hotch breathed and Rossi sighed, watching the two men trying to comfort each other. He stood and moved over to them.

"Morgan, you did your best. And while you may think its your fault that Reid has a bullet in his stomach, you saved him from a bullet through the brain." Morgan looked at Rossi and sighed, nodding his thanks. "Hotch, I'm sure that Reid will be okay."

"He has to, Dave..." Hotch moaned, burying his face into his hands, rubbing his tired eyes. "He has to…"

The agents looked up when a police officer walked in.

"I'm Officer Chandler." He said. "I pulled him over. I'm sorry. I should have stopped it all right there." Hotch looked at him.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I pulled him over for speeding through a traffic light. He seemed unusually scared, and nothing wrong turned up when I ran his license, but he had been silently mouthing to me, asking for help. So I turned to the passenger… He shot me in the arm and took off. I'm sorry." Hotch glanced at the cop's arm and saw the bandages through the bloody tear in his jacket. He looked back up and nodded, before shaking the man's hand.

"Glad you're okay, Officer." He said. "And I appreciate it."

Half an hour later, the light above the emergency surgery doors went off. The team and the small hand full of worried officers moved forwards, anxiously. A doctor came out and looked at the people assembled. Her gaze rested on Hotch.

"Family of Spencer Reid?" She said, and they all nodded. "… How about his biological family?" She drawled, specifically eyeing Morgan. The man glared.

"I'm listed as his next of kin." Hotch said. "And whatever you tell me, I'll just tell them. How is he?" The doctor eyed him, then nodded and slid her glasses up her nose, focusing on the chart before her.

"Well, we removed a bullet from his thigh, and from his abdomen. There was minor internal damage; it was successfully repaired. Right now, the concern is for the head wound. There is bruising on the brain. It is not what we would call major, but he was teetering on the edge of a coma. Fortunately, he did regain consiousness. He was awake long enough to ask for… Hotch, I believe it was….." Hotch nodded. "Well, he then lost conciousness again. We think that he may be plagued with sudden loss of consiousness due to his head injury, possible memory problems. This is only temporary until the swelling goes down."

"Can we see him?" Rossi asked, and the doctor nodded.

"He's been moved to room 223. If he wakes up you need to keep calm and quiet, and keep the lights dim." And she turned and walked away. JJ and Garcia glanced at each other, then followed Hotch down the hall, with the police behind. They got to the room and quietly slipped inside. The curtains were drawn, blocking the brilliant colors of the sunset. The police hung back respectfully as Hotch moved closer and bent over the bed, stroking Reid's cheek.

After a moment, Hotch sat down with a sigh and took Reid's cold hand into his own. He paused and stood up again at a small moan from Reid.

"Spencer?" He called, gently.

Reid moaned again and squirmed, then frowned. A moment later, he suddenly gasped and his eyes shot open.

"Hotch!" He yelped, looking around.

"Whoa… easy, kid." Morgan said, a firm hand on the boy's chest keeping him in a reclining position. Reid blinked up at the man, and around at his team. Then, wincing, he lifted a hand to his head and gingerly felt the bandage.

"... I totaled my rental car, didn't I?" He suddenly groaned.

"The rental company has been informed that you were at gunpoint." Rossi chuckled. "They won't be taking any legal action against you."

"... What happened?" Reid asked. "Who was that guy? And... why...?"

"His name is John Smith, believe it or not." Emily snorted. "And he was running because cops executed a search warrant on his place and found several marijuana bushes in the closet. He was trying to skip town and just... hopped in the first car he saw."

"... I hate my life." Reid groaned.

"Don't worry about it, kid." Morgan chuckled. "You're gonna make a full recovery and he's been arrested on charges of the Abduction, Assault and Attempted Murder of a Federal Agent, as well as Carjacking, Resisting Arrest, and whatever else the DA can make stick."

"Oh boy... I'll have to go to court." Reid grumbled.

"I doubt it." JJ laughed. "He was begging for a deal before they even booked him once he found out you're a fed."

"How do you feel?" Hotch asked.

"Better than I would have if I had gone drinking with you guys." Reid snorted. The team looked at him, then burst out laughing.

"You went and got yourself Carjacked and shot just to get out of going to a bar?" Garcia giggled.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Reid said, firmly. "Yes I did." The team laughed again.

"Well, do us a favor, Spence. Next time... Just say no." JJ told him, and Reid grinned.

"Deal."

* * *

Honestly... I don't even know if I like this one... and that's new to me. Usually I love what I write, but once I finished it and read it through... meh... I almost didn't post it, but I didn't have anything else to give y'all. ^_^' If you like it, let me know in a review and make me feel better instead of feeling like I'm losing my touch!

Still working on all the other fics. 'Knights of the Old Republic' and 'Alas, Babylon' are looking like they will be epics, possibly 15-20 chapters. Still working on 'Return from the Edge', but it's slow going as my Lightsaber wielding muse really seems to have captured my imagination with KotoR.

Next time... A one (long) one shot that I have been working on for a LONG time... VERY angsty and VERY dramatic... It IS an established Hotch/Reid but it is a stand alone fic, not part of any story line, and never will be. So coming soon...

SACRIFICE

PLEASE REVIEW!


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